Mayorkas blames violence, 'pent-up thirst for relief' for migrant surge

Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas is again blaming root causes in Central America and elsewhere for the migrant surge at the southern border -- including a “pent up thirst for relief” from those making the journey north.

"I think that pieces of the many different theories compiled together form a very compelling answer," the secretary said. 

"The downturn in economies, the attendant rise in violence, the downturn in economies made more acute by reason of the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, the suppression of any humanitarian relief over the past number of years, and the pent-up thirst for relief among many different populations," he said. "I think an accumulation of factors contributes to the rise in migration that we've seen."